Spinach Artichoke Pasta

One-Pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Stahlbush Island Farms Diced Onion
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 15 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1 cup white wine
• 12 oz medium-sized pasta or GF pasta noodles (Such as Gemelli, Penne, etc)
• 4 ½ cups vegetable broth
• 10 oz Stahlbush Island Farms frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 15 oz white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast, plus more for serving
• Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large, wide [12-inch (31-cm)+] skillet or braiser, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. When shimmering, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes or until softened but not yet browning. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30 seconds.
3. Add the artichoke hearts and wine. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the pasta.
4. Pour the broth over the noodles. The noodles should be covered with broth, press them down if poking out. Bring to a boil, then quickly lower the heat and simmer for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the noodles are *nearly* al dente, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If the heat is too high and the liquid evaporates too soon, add 1/4 cup (63 ml) at a time of broth (or water.)
5. Stir in the spinach and white beans, cooking and gently stirring another minute or two until the beans are heated through and the noodles are al dente. Remove from heat and stir in the vegan butter and nutritional yeast. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topped with nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan, or as desired.
6. This one-pot artichoke spinach pasta is best served right away. As with any pasta dish, the longer the pasta sits, the softer the noodles become.

NOTES:

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:

Store leftover spinach artichoke pasta in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

It can be frozen in an airtight container for about 3 months, but will naturally be much softer once defrosted. To avoid this as much as possible, slightly undercook your pasta if you know ahead of time that you’ll be freezing it.

When reheating leftovers, you may want to add a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil (or a pat of vegan butter) and some salt to help brighten the flavors.

OPTIONAL PASTA ADD-INS:

This vegetarian one-pot pasta is easily customizable to whatever extras you have on hand and would like to add in! Below are some suggestions:

Sliced Vegan Sausage: if you’d like the sausage to keep its texture, fry it before starting the pasta recipe and then remove it from the skillet, adding it back into the finished pasta at the end. Otherwise, it may fall apart but will be infusing the pasta with sausage flavor as everything cooks. Proceed as desired!

Vegan Chicken Pieces (or Seiten): as with the vegan sausage suggestion, I recommend frying the seiten first (per package directions) and then removing it from the skillet before starting the pasta recipe if you’d like to maintain any of the crispy bits. Otherwise, seiten is delicious simmered in with the noodles!

Capers: about 3 tablespoons (22 g) of drained capers are a nice briny addition – add them at any point in this recipe.

Pitted Kalamata Olives: about ½ cup (90 g) of olives added in just before serving adds a nice salty kick.

Fresh Cherry Tomatoes: add 1-2 pints of sliced cherry tomatoes at the time you add the spinach and beans for a burst of color.

Shredded Vegan Mozzarella: add some cheesiness by stirring in a couple of handfuls of shredded vegan mozzarella cheese, or serving on top!